Messages of Hope: Get mammograms for early detection

Oct. 15, 2013

Barb Raabe of Wisconsin Rapids

To participate in Messages of Hope

You can send your message for breast cancer patients and their families for publication to Deb Cleworth, care of Daily Tribune Media, 101 W. Riverview Expressway, Ste. 101, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495 or at deb.cleworth@cwnews.net. Be sure to include your full name, residence and phone number, for verification purposes. Twitter: Send tweets of hope to breast cancer patients and their families during October using #WisHope as a hashtag. We will retweet on @wrtribune and publish a selection of Twitter messages in print and on our website. Facebook: Visit and “like” the Daily Tribune Media page. Then leave messages in the comments.

Love Lights: Paint the Town Pink

• Riverview Hospital Auxiliary members are inviting community members and business owners to purchase a large pink ribbon to hang outdoors in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The $10 ribbons are available for purchase between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursday through the end of October in the Riverview Medical Center lobby, 410 Dewey St., Wisconsin Rapids. • Proceeds go to the UW Cancer Center Riverview for equipment and services that enhance patient care and comfort.

Breast cancer support group

The Breast Cancer Support Group will meet from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 11 in Riverview Medical Center’s Lower Level Conference Center, 410 Dewey St., Wisconsin Rapids. Ann Soe of Central Wisconsin Counseling Associates, will present “Survivorship — Exploring How We are Shaped by and Overcome Our Challenges.” Light refreshments will be served. There is no cost to attend, and no registration is needed. New members always are welcome. The Breast Cancer Support Group meets the second Monday of each month (except January, June, July, August and December). About every other month, the group hosts an educational speaker with the alternating month’s meeting reserved for sharing, support and social activities. Call UW Cancer Center Riverview at 715-421-7442 for more information.

Find out more about LiveStrong

LiveStrong is a 12-week program meant to increase a cancer patient’s strength and energy. The concept behind the program — which is free to survivors and includes a family membership to the YMCA during the 12 weeks — is to help participants regain the “normalcy” they felt previous to their diagnosis. To find out more about the LiveStrong program, call the South Wood County YMCA at 715-887-3240 or the Stevens Point Area YMCA at 715-342-2980. The next South Wood County YMCA session is expected to begin in January. The Stevens Point YMCA keeps a wait list of participants and schedules a class when there are enough participants.

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Editor’s note: Many women and even some men across central Wisconsin are in the battles of their lives or, like Barb Raabe of Wisconsin Rapids, marking their days as cancer-free. You’ll get to know some of these people, your neighbors, through October during Daily Tribune Media’s special series that helps build breast cancer awareness.

They will tell you what they learned about themselves during their fight against breast cancer and what they might have lost. They’ll reveal a bit about who they are outside of the cancer realm; they are, after all, more than the cancer that seemed to have defined them for a big part of their lives. And they offer messages of hope to those who recently have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

This is the third in a five-part series to help build breast cancer awareness.

What I found: “Early diagnosis is a big key in treating breast cancer.

“(I) had my annual physical and breast exam in November 2011, and everything seemed normal with no previous concerns; had my annual mammogram Dec. 26, 2011, was asked to do a sonogram and then was showed the area of concern. Fortunately, they were able to do a biopsy that day, and several days later I got the diagnosis of Stage 2 breast cancer.

“What a shock, but very thankful that it was found and that I could be proactive in treating it early. The most difficult part was waiting to get started, but one step at a time. First the lumpectomy then surgery to implant a port, six chemotherapy treatments, 28 radiations and one year of intravenous Herceptin treatments. Finished up with it all about September 2012.

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“On the days that I felt well, I did what I could, and on the days when I couldn’t, I just accepted it and relaxed. I continued to go camping and enjoy family activities during treatment.”

What I lost: “I don’t really feel as if I’ve lost anything but maybe some muscle tone, balance and endurance, but these are things that I’m working on to regain and will regain in time. Even with the experience of baldness, I’ve gained confidence and a new outlook on appearance and what’s really important.

“I wish to look at this experience as one that I’ve gained from and not lost. Having cancer has taught me patience and the ability to not sweat the small stuff because it is all just ‘small stuff.’ I’ve always held my family and friends close, but now even closer. I’ve met so many wonderful people along the journey and unfortunately some are no longer with us. Life is a gift that we should cherish and not take for granted.

“I believe it’s the quality of life that counts and not how long you live.

“I will not worry about the cancer returning and will deal with it if it does. I will choose to keep on living and enjoying life and not let cancer define me.”

I used to hate, but now I love ... “Well, I wouldn’t exactly say love but I do now appreciate the freedom and benefits that come with getting older. You realize just how fortunate you are to be here, especially having survived cancer and know that many were not as fortunate. You are hopefully wiser and have developed many long-term relationships that you treasure and really know what is important in your life.”

My favorite room in the house is ... “That would have to be our screened in porch. In the summer, we practically live out there. On my not so good days on chemo, I would go out there relax and enjoy nature; it made things a lot more tolerable.

When I have free time ... “I love to go visit the grandchildren or have them come here. My children and grandchildren were a motivating factor in doing whatever necessary to fight the cancer. When I was down, all I had to do was visit them, you can’t feel badly around grandchildren, they are the best medicine.”

I cherish my relationship with ... “My husband, Paul, of 32 years. He was my rock and support through all of this and always will be. Also, my one and only sister, Chris. She is the best friend that you’d choose for yourself. I love her a lot and couldn’t imagine life without her in it and hope I never have to.”

Don’t tell anyone this, but my TV guilty pleasure is ... “It’s not really a secret, everyone knows not to call during ‘Survivor’ or ‘The Amazing Race’ because I’m not answering. ‘The Amazing Race’ is the best, I love seeing all of the other countries and imagine going to them.”